The present invention relates to vehicle security system and, in particular, to a vehicle security system which both hinders or disables the ability of a driver to drive the vehicle and marks the vehicle in a highly conspicuous manner as a suspect or intentionally disabled vehicle.
A recurring major problem with motor vehicles of all types is the various forms of theft as vehicles, being readily available and transportable by their inherent nature, are very susceptible to theft by both amateurs, for joy riding, for example, or professional thieves for such purposes as resale of the vehicle or parts thereof or use of the vehicle in further criminal activities. This problem as been long recognized and addressed by various anti-theft systems of greater or lessor degrees of complexity and operating according to a number of different principles.
For example, vehicles are of course typically equipped with door and ignition locks of several different types and of varying degrees of effectiveness that to prevent unauthorized persons from entering or starting the vehicles. Such lock systems commonly require corresponding keys or the entry of security codes to allow access to or activation of the vehicle, and some involve coded xe2x80x9cremotexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ckeylessxe2x80x9d devices and incorporate various types of audible and visual alarm devices. It is commonly known and recognized, however, that such lock systems are easily and commonly bypassed or disabled in various ways, even by children.
Yet other systems provide locking elements that are independent or separate from the vehicle, but which interact with elements of the vehicles to prevent operation of the vehicle. Such devices include, for example, bars that interlock with, for example, the steering wheel and, in many instances, the accelerator or brake pedal or both, to lock these elements into one position. Such devices, while being typically more effective than simple ignition and door locks, may still be bypassed in various ways, such as by removal or disassembly of the steering wheel, or, for example, by the thieves simply towing away the entire vehicle.
Still other systems include, for example, various forms of radio beacon to indicate the current location of the vehicle to one or more tracking facilities when activated by a tracking facility. Such systems may further include, for example, the capability of remotely disabling essential systems of the vehicle, such as the electrical, fuel or ignition systems, when a code is broadcast from a tracking facility. The tracking elements of such systems, however, may be disabled by skilled thieves if presence of such a system is or becomes known to them, and the various disablement mechanisms may be likewise disabled, or bypassed by simply towing the vehicle.
The present invention provides a solution to these and similar problems of the prior art.
The present invention is directed to a vehicle anti-theft system that includes a concealed receiver for receiving a control code corresponding to a vehicle and for generating a disablement signal to at least one security device. The security device includes a paint dispensing system, including a paint container for storing paint, a paint propellant device for dispensing the paint from the paint container, and one or more paint dispensers connected from the paint propellant device, the paint dispensers being located adjacent a windshield of the vehicle for dispensing the point onto the windshield. The paint dispensing system is activated by the disablement signal to dispense the paint onto the windshield to obscure vision through the windshield.
The paint is characterized by being capable of immediately adhering to glass under a range of conditions, being difficult to remove from glass, including when newly applied, being sufficiently opaque to effectively obscure vision through the glass, and being of a visually very dominate and noticeable color. In addition, the paint may be dispensed onto the windshield to obscure vision through the windshield during a predetermined period of time to allow a driver time, for example, to safely stop the vehicle.
The vehicle anti-theft system may further include one or more additional security devices activated by the disablement signal for one or more of disabling the vehicle and indicating a current location of the vehicle.